French 2+2 students

Flyer for Shandong 2+2 Program

Two universities. Two degrees.

Students complete their first two years of study at their home university, and then complete a further two years of study at Waterloo, receiving a degree from each university.

Hear what our current student, Vincent, has to say about the French 2+2 program:

headshot of vincent, the French 2+2 student

It is well-known that one's environment is significant for language learning. Canada's bilingual society is helping me improve my English and French levels quickly at the same time. In addition, the University of Waterloo has a quite complete French teaching system. It offers more diversified course selections which not only lead to progress, but also satisfy my interests. Therefore, I consider this exchange as a very worthy program.

Vincent, French 2+2 Student

For further information, please contact frenchundergrad@uwaterloo.ca. You can also check out the China 2+2 program flyer (PDF) for more information.

Application steps
  1. Pre-application French and English proficiency test in November at Shandong Normal. Please contact Jane Kay, Program Manager, China Initiatives at Renison for more information. 
  2. Carefully complete the online Application for Admission at:
  3. Create an account using a current, valid email address* and then select the appropriate program using the “University of Waterloo - International Agreements Application.”
    *Please do NOT use any qq.com email addresses.
  4. Make sure you select the correct program and code for 2025 Fall (September) entry:
    Faculty Program CODE Available Programs/Subject of Major
    ARTS ARTS/China 2+2 WAE French (SDNU only)
  5. Application deadline: submit your online application by March 1, 2025. 
  6. Within 2 weeks of applying, you will receive an acknowledgement email from Waterloo. This email will contain your Waterloo ID number (8 digits). Please include this number on all communication with Waterloo
  7. Admission decisions will be sent to you via email beginning in March to early April 2025.

Emails and application fees
  • Please provide a current, valid e-mail address as we will be communicating with you throughout the application process through e-mail. Please do NOT use any qq.com e-mail addresses.
  • The total application fee is $85.00 in Canadian funds,  payable to the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre upon completing your online application.
  • International Payment Options:
    • Credit/Debit card (VISA, MasterCard, American Express, VISA Debit or Debit MasterCard).
    • Online banking through selected Canadian banks and credit unions only. (This normally takes 2-5 business days to process.) You must make all payments in Canadian funds.
    • Flywire (this may take 2-5 business days to process). Flywire allows you to pay Canadian dollar fees in the currency of your choice. They provide a simple and secure way of initiating a payment electronically.

Required documents for application

The following required documents for your application must be received by Waterloo no later than March 15, 2025:

  • A current official university transcript with a certified English language translation. If your transcript does NOT indicate your current course enrollment you will need to include a letter (preferably from your advisor) listing your current courses. Note: Your University must mail these documents directly to UW or provide you with an official stamped and sealed copy of your transcript and certified translation which you can mail to us.
  • A certified copy of your official Senior High School Graduation Diploma and official Chinese University Entrance Exam (Gaokao), in signed and sealed envelopes.
  • A copy of your language test results: CET4 & 6, TOEFL or IELTS, if available.
  • A printed copy of your completed application form with your institution’s nomination signature.
  • You can upload unofficial documents directly to us using QUEST, (if your 2nd year grades are not available by the deadline, please submit them as soon as possible)
  • Once you have completed the online application, the required documents must be mailed to:

Undergraduate Admissions Registrar’s Office
University of Waterloo/ China 2+2 Joint Academic programs
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada 
N2L 3G1

Degree Requirements
  • In order to complete the 16 courses in the French Honours program, SDNU students must successfully complete the following requirements and maintain the averages specified on the French Undergraduate Academic Calendar.

In order to complete the French Honours program requirements in a minimum of seven semesters, SDNU students should enroll and successfully complete FR192A in their first semester at the Waterloo, and enroll and successfully complete, in their second semester at the Waterloo, the two courses FR192B and FR250. After these two semesters, the SDNU students should enroll and successfully complete two to three Waterloo French studies courses listed on the Honours French program website every semester and maintain the averages specified in the Waterloo calendar, for a total of 16 Honours required courses.

  • If some SDNU students are able to take additional French courses in their last year or extend their stay by one or two semesters, they could qualify for one of the two following specializations:

1. Professional French Specialization

The Professional French Specialization is open to all students majoring in French. / The Professional French Specialization requires successful completion of four courses from the following list:

FR 203, FR 255, FR 303, FR 353, FR 355, FR 400, FR 403

2. Intensive French and Francophone Literatures and Cultures Specialization

In combination with the Honours French plan-level requirements listed above, students interested in pursuing the Intensive French and Francophone Literatures and Cultures Specialization will be required to fulfil the following requirements: